


Saved By Grace

by SunflowerKisses



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:08:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24616570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerKisses/pseuds/SunflowerKisses
Summary: Sometimes what you need is right in front of you, if you only take the chance. An Arthur/OC story. I will take liberties with canon and story events, so please be understanding.
Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character(s), Dutch van der Linde/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you see her, say hello  
> Sundown, yellow moon  
> I replay the past,  
> I know every scene by heart,  
> They all went by so fast.

Prologue. 1907.

The icy air of Mt. Hagen pulled at John’s sun-kissed skin as he stared at the precarious scene in front of him. Even in his worst nightmares, he had never imagined he would be in this situation. He could see Sadie’s pained face as she struggled in Micah’s grasp, the dark blood dripping down the front of her white shirt onto the pristine snow at their feet. He watched as she twisted and groaned as she pulled against the hold Micah had on her arm. Her labored breaths puffed in front of her like a cloud and she briefly shut her eyes against the pain. John could not wait any longer. He had to decide now. As he lifted his revolver higher, the door to the cabin burst open and out stepped the man he had once called his father. His heart stopped.

………………………….. _Come with us son…you’re safe now….we will take care of you_ …… _Come on John! ….Why did you leave us? He’s your son John, you need to take responsibility….. Marston, did the wolves eat all your brain?.....I’ve pushed all I can…..you’re my brother_ ……… ……………………………

Words, memories, sounds, feelings, all came at him like a train. Lost in the blinding rush, John paused. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he began to gasp in the cold mountain air.

“Dutch.” He said softly.

“Hello son”. Dutch replied with a blank expression. “It’s been a long time.”

“Aww…how sweet, “Micah snickered as Sadie struggled in his grasp, “all sorts of folks making social calls today.”

“What are you doing here Dutch?” John stammered. “Same as you, I suppose.” He responded with a smirk. John watched as Dutch’s fingers gingerly tapped the handles of his revolvers. “Same as you. Although, you were not the first one here John. Someone else was faster than you it seems.”

Dutch stepped to the left of the open door to allow another figure to enter the cold sunlight. The woman dressed all in black held a white handled revolver at the back of Dutch’s head. Her black hat complete with a green feather tipped up just enough for John to see a face he thought was long dead.

“Grace? Grace Montgomery? Is that you?” He yelled.

“Hello John.” Grace responded. “Although, you’re wrong on one account brother. It’s Grace Morgan.”

“Gracie girl, I didn’t know you and Arthur married before, before…..” John began.

“Stop!” Grace yelled, tears forming in her blue eyes, “None of you get to mention his name! All of you betrayed him! You all left him to die alone on that mountain! You have no right to even think of his name anymore!” Her hand holding the revolver began to shake. “You all deserve to die today!” She drew a second revolver and pointed it at John.

“Grace, you don’t want this!” John yelled. “Arthur wouldn’t want this!”

“What did I say??!!” She screamed back. “He was my everything! All of you bastards can burn in hell for what you’ve done!” Before John could react, she had fired a shot into Dutch’s shoulder and another of her shots hit Micah in the leg. Both men crumpled to the ground. Sadie pulled herself free from Micah as he fell to the earth and John opened up firing both guns unto Micah’s chest. He turned to see a sobbing Grace standing over Dutch with a gun pointed at his head.

“Grace, my dear, it doesn’t have to end this way.” Dutch gasped holding a hand to his bloody shoulder. “There’s money in the cabin. Take it. All of it. It won’t make up for what I have done to you my dear. I know it won’t bring him back….”

“Shut up!” Grace screamed. “Just shut up. You know nothing! You and your pretty words make no difference now. “ She bent down closer to his face and grabbed the collar of his coat. Sneering, she spoke, “You know nothing. You and that rat did not win. I did. I won. I beat you all. If you only knew what I had to do, you would not believe me. I won. I’m the best of all of you.” She cocked the hammer on her revolver and pressed it to his forehead. “Do you recognize this gun? It’s his you know. I do believe you bought it for him when he was 17. Am I correct? Kind of ironic that a gift from you will be the instrument that ends your miserable existence. I know I find it amusing. By the way….” She bent closer to his ear and whispered, “I saved him. He’s not dead.”

She watched Dutch’s eyes widen and he began to stammer……she pulled the trigger.


	2. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All hell breaks loose in Blackwater and Hosea prays for a miracle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May 1899. Blackwater.

“Tell me again what the hell Dutch is plannin’?” Arthur looked across the table in the Blackwater Saloon at Hosea and Grace with a scowl on his face. Grace shrugged her shoulders and continued sipping at her now warm beer.

“I dunno.” She said with a mirroring frown, “Hosea? “

Hosea looked up from his newspaper at the two sets of blue eyes that were now focused on him. Letting out a short sigh and a cough, he folded up the paper and laid his hands on the tabletop. “ Well, I believe that he and the others are planning on hitting that ferry like Micah suggested. Buncha horseshit if you ask me. Too many eyes around here for my liking, and Dutch, well, all he sees is dollar signs nowadays. I make it a rule never to take a job on the water. There’s no exit plan, too open, and I hate getting wet.” He chuckled, reaching for his glass of whiskey. “But, I’m just an old sad sot and no one listens to me anyhow.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Arthur replied, chugging his whiskey. “You got more brains in one finger than most of us combined. Well, more than me at least.”

“Stop that!” Grace slammed her beer bottle on the table and glared at him. “ Do you think I would have spent the last six years with you if you were that stupid? “

“Shit darlin’, “ Arthur smirked, “here I though ya loved me for my charm?”

“ Nah,” Grace smiled. “ It’s your dick.”

Hosea spit out his whiskey onto the table and guffawed with laughter. “Jesus Grace!” He laughed, “ Don’t say shit like that when I’m trying to enjoy a nice watered down whiskey!”

“So, “ Arthur continued once they were all done laughing, “ When is Dutch doing this job?”

“ I think today. That’s why he had everyone pack the nonessential stuff in case we had t’ leave in a rush. We are all supposed to meet back up with him this evening to count the take and make the next move.” Hosea whispered then stood up from the table. Stretching his arms over his head, he cracked the bones in his shoulders. Their popping and soreness reminding him that he was no young rooster anymore. Hell. He didn’t even know if he could still crow after all this time. He looked down at the two still sitting at the table. Arthur was smiling at Grace and holding her hand in his as he gently rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. Bringing her into the gang all those years ago was the best decision Hosea had ever made after marrying his dear Bessie. As he walked out of the saloon for a cigarette, his thoughts drifted back to when he first laid eyes on the crystal eyed blonde years ago in Montana. He and Dutch had just welcomed Simon Pearson into the gang after Bessie passed. They needed someone to take over her cooking duties, and although no one could come close to the meals she prepared, Pearson did his best at keeping them all fed and happy. Hosea and Arthur had gone into a small mining town in the hills to look for marks to replenish their dwindling cash supply. Scanning the dirty saloon that August night he had seen the girl sitting in the corner alone. Dressed in a black skirt and matching black bolero jacket, her bright blue eyes scanned the crowd like a wolf stalking its prey. He and Arthur had stayed for a little over an hour picking a few pockets and nursing some nasty whiskey when they heard gunfire coming from the back alleyway. Always curious, they had rushed outside to see the blonde girl holding two smoking revolvers with three dead men at her feet. Turns out, they had tried to rob her when she left the saloon and she gunned all three men down without blinking. Hosea was so impressed by her skills that he invited her to join their merry band of misfits. Six years later, and Grace was their second-best gun after Arthur. The two of them together could unleash a hellfire of lead on anyone in their path. It was no surprise that after being in the gang for around six months, Hosea had caught Grace and Arthur in a compromising position in the woods outside of camp. After embarrassing them both to no end, he just asked them to keep their more intimate activities a little more private, but he was happy to see Arthur finally let go of Mary and feel the wonders of love once more. Ever since, the two of them were inseparable, a force of nature sharing one mind and one heart.

Sighing, Hosea turned around as Grace and Arthur joined him outside for a smoke. Arthur lit two cigarettes and handed one to Grace. She took it with a slight nod of her head and the three of them stood and watched the people rush by on the street. A little old woman lugging a basket of tomatoes, two children chasing a metal barrel hoop with sticks laughing and shouting with joy, a dog lazily sunning itself on the hotel steps. All seemed peaceful and normal in the town of Blackwater. But only for a moment.

Suddenly, screams and gunfire could be heard in the area near the docks and men started shouting. “They’re robbing the ferry!” rang out across the street followed by the shrill sound of police whistles. The children with the hoop dropped their sticks and ran down an alley way, leaving the barrel hoop to roll and collide into the back of a wagon. The old lady hurried her herself into the nearest shop door and the dog yelped and ran under a porch. Hosea whipped around to look at Arthur and Grace with a horrified look in his eyes. “Shit! We gotta go!” He yelled and all three bolted for their horses. Arthur grabbed Boudicca’s reigns and hoisted himself into the saddle. Hosea jumped onto Silver Dollar and Grace mounted her black mare Raven. They all began to ride earnestly toward the docks to lend aid to the gang that they knew were in trouble. Swerving around pedestrians and police alike, they pulled up to the dock where the ferry was anchored, chests heaving.

Scanning the area, they saw Javier and Lenny pinned down behind some crates. Charles and John were behind a large shed firing at the law. Charles was cradling one of his hands next to chest and was trying to shoot with the other. Micah and Dutch were on the ferry’s ramp trying to come down it, firing at everything that moved. They each had a large sack held over their shoulders. Grace and Arthur leapt from their mounts and began raining cover fire down on the police so that their leader could get away. Hosea looked to his right and saw Sean being dragged away by a group of policemen and Davey lying on the docks bleeding badly from a gut wound. Mac was no where to be seen. Suddenly, Jenny and Bill appeared clutching the reins of the gang’s horses. Jenny let out a shrill whistle letting the boys knows their escape was ready. A lawman turned at the sound and fired. Hosea watched with horror as the bullet ripped into her chest and she hit the pavement.

The air was filled with smoke, shouts whistles, and screams. So much that Hosea’s head throbbed from the noise. Firing to clear a path for the remained of the gang, he shouted to Dutch to get moving. Looking to his right he saw that Arthur and Grace had moved up behind more shipping crates and were still shooting. They worked like a well oiled machine. One would fire and the other would take over to let the first reload. He heard Grace’s yelp before he saw the bullet hit her upper arm. Arthur boiled with rage and shot faster and with more fury. Unleashing the demons of hell onto whomever had dared to hurt his lady.

“Grace! You ok?” Hosea shouted over the cacophony of mayhem.

“Yeah, just a graze. Get them out of here!” She yelled back, wrapping her black bandanna around her arm and tying it off into a knot with her teeth. Once done, she raised her revolvers and resumed shooting. Hosea saw the gang making their way to their horses as the shooting began to slow. Lenny cradled the dying Jenny in his arms as Bill helped him get her onto his horse. As the others began to mount up and ride off, Hosea yelled at Arthur and Grace. “Come on you two! We need to get out of here!”

“Go Sea!” Arthur shouted. “ We will cover you guys and catch up later! “

“ Bullshit Arthur! I ain’t leaving you!” Hosea shouted back.

“ Don’t argue with me old man. GO!!” Arthur shouted one last time, ducking behind the crate.

Hosea grit his teeth and ran for Silver Dollar. Jumping onto her back he turned once more to look at his son and Grace still firing away and sped off after Dutch and the gang. With a silent prayer, he closed his eyes and begged whatever God existed to bring Arthur and Grace home to him.


	3. Remembrance

It was times like these that made Hosea lose himself in his memories. It was the only thing he had to keep himself sane and calm in the blinding chaos. Sitting on the front of the wagon with Dutch, a pounding pain swarm through his temples as he pushed the exhausted horses further into the snowstorm. The further up the mountain they went, the father they were away from Arthur and Gracie. Not knowing their fate was gnawing at his insides leaving him numb and nauseous. Still, they had to push on. They had to get to safety. Those two would want everyone safe. Damn sacrificing fools, he thought. The boy he loved as his son and the girl who dedicated her life to Arthur were gone. All he could see were their faces....bleeding out on a dusty Blackwater street...alone....  
He shook the black thoughts from his mind as he remembered the first few weeks after Grace had joined their crew. There were ten of them then. Himself, Dutch, Annabelle, Susan, Arthur, John, Pearson, Strauss, Bill and a young fellow they picked up named Jeremiah...hot headed and foolhardy...but swayed by Dutch's grand scheme of life. The women were glad to have another female around and Grace lived up to their expectations. She could mend and cook and did her chores with a " yes ma'am" and always with a quiet, gentle smile. The boys though thought of her as just another woman they could use and abuse with vile comments and sly innuendos, but Grace paid them no mind. She was intelligent, smart enough to con them all out of whatever they had that she wanted by flashing a bit of skin and a shy smile. They all fell for her charms....all but one. Arthur, ever as sullen and brooding, had lost his lover and son not six months prior and still stomped around camp with a never-ending air of melancholy and anger. He simply could not be bothered by the crystal eyed blonde beauty who brought him coffee every morning. He would let out a gruff "thanks" and go about his day lost in self loathing.  
That changed one fall afternoon. Some of the boys had been out drinking at the saloon and came back reeking of whiskey and sex. Grace was with Pearson finishing up bread to bake for dinner when a staggering Jeremiah sauntered up to her. She scrunched her nose at the smell wafting from him and frowned. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he leaned in close to her face, whiskey soured breath ghosting over her skin, and sneered " Hey sweet thing. How about you let me turn you into a whore instead of a housewife?" Then he placed his filthy hand on her left breast and squeezed.  
In a flash, Grace morphed from a polite girl to a raging maelstrom of womanly fury. Grabbing his hand she twisted his wrist so hard Hosea heard the popping of the bones across the camp. As Jeremiah screamed she reared up and planted her knee square into his balls then pushed him onto the dirt. Before anyone could stop her she had pulled a large knife from beneath her skirts and held it to his neck as she straddled his shaking body. Pressing the blade beneath his chin she glared at him. " Don't fucking touch me again. " was the only sound that could be heard as all eyes and ears were on her at that moment. Then, as soon as it had started, it was over. Grace stood, dusted off her skirts, adjusted her hair and resumed working on the bread. Jeremiah laid crying in the dirt holding his broken wrist while curled in the fetal position like a newborn babe. Hosea smiled and gazed into the frozen landscape, lost in the past. That day was just the start of Grace's time as one of the gang's lead earners. He could see how Arthur had fallen for her.....she was a mirror image of himself. Hosea was roused from his thoughts by Dutch. " I can practically feel you thinking Old Man. Are you going to complain and criticize me too?" Dutch snarled from under his checkered scarf. Hosea let out a heavy sigh, " No." He began, just worried about our boy and Gracie. I'm angry that we just left them behind, along with Mac and Sean. Since when do we abandon our family Dutch? " We didn't abandon them Hosea. They held off the law so this family could escape. They did what they were expected to do." "Sure Dutch, keep telling yourself that. " " I don't need doubt from you Hosea. Everyone else is looking to me to get them to safety, I did what I had to do. " "Huh...tell that to Arthur and Gracie if we ever see them again." " We will Hosea. Have some faith in me....please?" Dutch's voice wavered and Hosea heard a slight hitch in his breath. " I....I....love Arthur, you know that. This is hard on me too. But....they made the choice to stay behind. I didn't tell them to, you know how they are. Where one is the other follows. And Grace....she....is part of this family too. I won't abandon them. As soon as we get settled I promise I will send someone to search for them. Even if....." " It's to bury them?" Hosea finished. Dutch nodded and they continued their journey into the dark mountains. Uncertainty hanging over their heads like a stormcloud. 


End file.
